Metamaterial devices and methods of using the same

Abstract

Compressive imaging captures images in compressed form, where each sensor does not directly correspond with a pixel, as opposed to standard image capture techniques. This can lead to faster image capture rates due to lower I/O bandwidth requirements, and avoids the need for image compression hardware, as the image is captured in compressed form. Measuring the transformation of an emitted multimodal signal is one method of compressive imaging. Metamaterial antennas and transceivers are well suited for both emitting and receiving multimodal signals, and are thus prime candidates for compressive imaging.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 illuminating a scene with a set of illumination field patterns corresponding to a set of measurement frequencies; 
 observing the illuminated scene with a set of measurement field patterns corresponding to the set of measurement frequencies; and 
 reconstructing an image of the observed scene using a compressive imaging algorithm; 
 where the set of illumination field patterns or the set of measurement field patterns is a set of field patterns of a metamaterial aperture antenna. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the illumination field patterns are field patterns of a low-directivity horn antenna and the measurement field patterns are field patterns of the metamaterial aperture antenna. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the measurement field patterns are radiation patterns of a low-directivity horn antenna and the illumination field patterns are field patterns of the metamaterial aperture antenna. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein both the measurement field patterns and the illumination field patterns are field patterns of the metamaterial aperture antenna. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the set of measurement frequencies is a set of RF frequencies. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the set of measurement frequencies is a set of microwave frequencies. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the set of measurement frequencies is a set of mmW frequencies. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the set of field patterns of the metamaterial aperture antenna is a set of pseudo-random field patterns. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metamaterial aperture antenna includes:
 a waveguide; and 
 an array of metamaterial elements coupled to the waveguide. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the metamaterial elements have distributed resonant frequencies. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the distributed resonant frequencies correspond to varied geometries of the metamaterial elements. 
     
     
       12. A system, comprising:
 a signal source; 
 a signal detector; 
 a metamaterial aperture antenna coupled to the signal source or the signal detector and having a set of field patterns for compressive sampling at a set of measurement frequencies. 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the metamaterial aperture antenna is coupled to the signal source, and the system further comprises:
 a low-directivity horn antenna coupled to the signal detector. 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the metamaterial aperture antenna is coupled to the signal detector, and the system further comprises:
 a low-directivity horn antenna coupled to the signal source. 
 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the metamaterial aperture antenna is coupled to both the signal source and the signal detector. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the set of measurement frequencies is a set of RF frequencies. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the set of measurement frequencies is a set of microwave frequencies. 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the set of measurement frequencies is a set of mmW frequencies. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the set of field patterns of the metamaterial aperture antenna is a set of pseudo-random field patterns. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the metamaterial aperture antenna includes:
 a waveguide; and 
 an array of metamaterial elements coupled to the waveguide. 
 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 20 , wherein the waveguide includes a bounding conductor and the metamaterial elements are complementary metamaterial elements patterned in the bounding conductor. 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 20 , wherein the waveguide is a one-dimensional waveguide. 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 22 , wherein the one-dimensional waveguide is a microstrip line. 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 20 , wherein the waveguide is a two-dimensional waveguide. 
     
     
       25. The system of  claim 24 , wherein the two-dimensional waveguide is a parallel plate waveguide. 
     
     
       26. The system of  claim 20 , wherein the metamaterial elements have distributed resonant frequencies. 
     
     
       27. The system of  claim 26 , wherein the distributed resonant frequencies correspond to varied geometries of the metamaterial elements.